ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on public opinion in Britain towards overseas aid. Britain has a long tradition of providing overseas aid to less developed countries in the post-war era. It also focuses on the wider political and policy context to Britain’s role as a significant provider of overseas aid. The chapter reviews the historical evidence pertaining to the British public’s general views on overseas aid-giving. It examines the views of demographic groups over time, looking at how opinions varied based on sex, age group and socio-economic circumstances. The chapter describes opinions on overseas aid based on political groups and again reviews the evidence in historical perspective. It analyses recent opinion polling on the overseas aid debate. The chapter provides a detailed profile of contemporary public opinion, looking at variation across groups in wider society. Negative views on overseas aid have been clearly located within the social bases of support for parties on the right of the political spectrum.
